In two species of lobster, application of the biogenic amine, histamine (HA), to the soma of olfactory receptor cells suppressed both spontaneous and odour-evoked activity, as shown by electrophysiological recording from single cells. The action of HA was graded, reversible, specific to HA, and had a threshold between 0.1 and 1 mumol l-1. HA increased the conductance of the membrane, primarily ...

Marine reserves (or No-Take Zones) are implemented to protect species and habitats, with the aim of restoring a balanced ecosystem. Although the benefits of marine reserves are commonly monitored, there is a lack of insight into the potential detriments of such highly protected waters. High population densities attained within reserves may induce negative impacts such as unfavourable trophic ca...

We studied the frequency of multiple paternity for American lobster (Homarus americanus) at three Canadian sites differing in exploitation rate and mean adult size. The probability of detecting multiple paternity using four microsatellite loci and 100 eggs per female was in excess of 99% under various scenarios of paternal contribution. Overall, 13% of the 108 examined females carried a clutch ...

With a coastline of 3,260 km, a coastal area with more than 4,000 islands, and many lagoons giving protection against the waves and wind, Vietnam has great potential for seacage aquaculture. In Vietnam, seacage culture of lobsters started in the province of Khanh Hoa in 1992 and has expanded significantly around south-central Vietnam since 2000. Panulirus ornatus (ornate spiny lobster) is the m...

Na+-gated nonselective cation channel from lobster olfactory projection neurons. J. Neurophysiol. 80: 3387-3391, 1998. A nonselective cation channel specifically activated by intracellular Na+ was identified in cell-free patches taken from cultured lobster olfactory projection neurons. Na+ reversibly activates the channel in a concentration-dependent manner, with a "half-effect" Na+ concentrati...

Neurogenesis persists throughout life in the olfactory pathway of many decapod crustaceans. However, the relationships between precursor cells and the temporal characteristics of mitotic events in these midbrain regions have not been examined. We have conducted studies aimed at characterizing the sequence of proliferative events that leads to the production of new deutocerebral projection neuro...

The computer program LOBSTER (Local Orbital Basis Suite Towards Electronic-Structure Reconstruction) enables chemical-bonding analysis based on periodic plane-wave (PAW) density-functional theory (DFT) output and is applicable to a wide range of first-principles simulations in solid-state and materials chemistry. LOBSTER incorporates analytic projection routines described previously in this ver...

We have developed a biomimetic robot based on the American lobster. The robot is designed to achieve the performance advantages of the animal model by adopting biomechanical features and neurobiological control principles. Three types of controllers are described. The first is a state machine based on the connectivity and dynamics of the lobster central pattern generator (CPG). The state machin...

Nitric oxide (NO) plays major roles during development and in adult organisms. We examined the temporal and spatial patterns of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) appearance in the embryonic lobster brain to localize sources of NO activity; potential NO targets were identified by defining the distribution of NO-induced cGMP. Staining patterns are compared with NOS and cyclic 3,5 guanosine monophosphat...

Through the history of ecology, fluctuations of populations have been a dominating topic, and endogenous causes of fluctuations and oscillations have been recognized and studied for more than 80 years. Here we analyzed an historical dataset, covering more than 130 years, of European lobster (Homarus gammarus) catches. The data shows periodic fluctuations, which are first dampened and then disap...